Seekamp, Coyotes advance to 1st ever Summit final

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- South Dakota women's basketball scored 54 second-half points on 77 percent shooting from the field en route to an 82-72 victory against the IUPUI Jaguars on Monday at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Coyotes will play South Dakota State at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow for the Summit League Tournament Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Nicole Seekamp keyed a balanced USD attack with 27 points, 23 of them coming in a second half in which she made 8 of 9 shots from the field, including all three of her 3-point attempts. Tempestt Wilson scored 14 points, Polly Harrington had 11 and Lisa Loeffler added 10.

IUPUI's Kerah Nelson scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Her partner in the low post, Nevena Markovic, chipped in 13 points as the Jaguars outscored USD 34-22 in the paint and held a 15-5 advantage on second chance points.

 The 'Yotes used a 29-13 run to turn a 44-39 deficit into a 68-57 advantage with 4:14 remaining in the contest and maintained that margin for the majority of the remainder of the game. The team hit all four of its 3-point attempts in the second-half and had seven triples overall. Sam Mehr came off the bench to hit three treys and also had team-highs in steals (3) and blocked shots (2).

USD outrebounded IUPUI 33-26, although the Jaguars held a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Margaret McCloud topped the 'Yotes with six boards while also contributing seven points and a steal.